Canadian House of Commons Speaker to honor Jan Palach

Chairman of the Canadian House of Commons, Geoff Regan, will honor the
memory of Jan Palach at Charles University in Prague on January 18. The
Czechoslovak student died after setting himself alight in Prague on 16
January 1969 in protest against growing public apathy to the Soviet-led
invasion of Czechoslovakia.

A number of events to commemorate Jan Palach’s death are set to take
place in the Czech Republic and abroad, including a special mass served by
Tomáš Halík at the city’s parish of St. Salvatore on the eve of the
anniversary.

On 16 January, the Speaker of the Senate, Jaroslav Kubera, will give a
speech at a memorial service on Prague’s Wenceslas Square, held by
organizers of the festival against totalitarianism Mene Tekel.